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Urban Drone Makes its First Delivery

April 7, 2016
Independent drone delivery company Flirtey successfully completed a fully autonomous FAA-approved drone delivery.

A package that included bottled water, emergency food and a first aid kit was delivered by the drone in an uninhabited residential setting in Hawthorne, Nevada.

The six-rotor drone flew itself along a pre-determined delivery route and lowered the package at a precise drop-off location. A Flirtey pilot and several visual observers were on standby during the delivery as a backup to the autonomous system, but were never needed.

The delivery follows a series of drone delivery "firsts" for Flirtey. The company conducted the first FAA-approved drone delivery last July—a series of urgent medical deliveries to a rural healthcare clinic.

"This was by far one of the most successful UAS operations we ran and represents an advanced level of test and development of new UAS technology, flight planning, innovation, and mission execution by Flirtey," said Director of Operations for the FAA-designated Nevada UAS Test Site, Chris Walach.   

(Photo by Flirtey)

Read the full story about Flirtey on Material Handling & Logistics.

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